Serpent By Association

The Accident

After school, the group all met at the front entrance. They all walked to Pop's Chock'Lit Shoppe.

"So, what's good here?" Sophia asked as they sat down in some booth next to each other.

"Everything is." Sweet Pea sat down next to her. "But especially the milkshakes."

Sophia let out a laugh. "Oh, Sweet Pea. You had me thinking you really were a bad boy. But really you're a softie, huh?"

"No way. I'm just as scary. I just like a sweet treat," he winked.

Their eyes locked and Sophia felt something stir. A weird familiarity that she had felt earlier on when their eyes had met. She didn't know why. She didn't know if he felt it too. But he did, and he too, didn't know why.

Everyone was chatting, drinking their milkshakes and eating their food. Jughead was typing away on his laptop.

"Juggy, I know whatever you're doing must be important but please, we're all here to actually speak to each other." Betty said.

"Alright." Jughead held his hands up in surrender and closed the laptop. "Let's talk. Ms Putnam, tell me more about this gang you were in."

"Well, it was just a run of the mill gang I guess. Some drug issues, some deaths, lots of fights, and oh Lord, the initiations. They were something." Sophia said.

"You were in a gang?" Cheryl asked.

"I was. It was a lot." Sophia said. "It made me who I am."

"Putnam? Sophia Putnam?" Sweet Pea asked. For once his face fell. He never usually showed much emotion except for anger, but this was almost panic. "Sorry guys, I forgot- I have to- I'll see you later." Sweet Pea got up from his seat and was quickly out of the door.

"That was weird." Fangs said.

"It sure was." Toni agreed. "Sorry about that, Soph."

"No worries. Betty, Jughead, I suggest we do this research sooner rather than later." Sophia said.

"Based on the reaction of Sweet Pea of all people, I'd be liable to agree." Archie said.

"Let's go to the Register now." Betty picked up her bag, and the three of them left Pop's. Archie and Veronica went downstairs to her speakeasy.

Fangs called Sweet Pea.

"Sweet Pea, come back to Pop's. Now," he said.

"No. Not while-" He started.

"She's gone. But you need to come back and explain what the fuck that was." Fangs said.

"I'll be five minutes." Sweet Pea sighed.

He got back to Pop's, joining Toni, Fangs and Cheryl at the table.

"Right, Sweets. The hell was that about?" Toni asked.

"Something happened a long time ago. I honestly don't want to talk about it. But if that Sophia Putnam is that same Sophia Putnam then man, no wonder she was trying to protect herself by being in a gang." Sweet Pea explained.

"What happened?" Fangs asked.

"Where is she?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Jughead and Betty have taken her to the register. Earlier Sophia said she used to live in Greendale but something happened that made her family leave." Cheryl told him. "Apparently, she checked all the Greendale papers but there's nothing. So, Betty and Jughead suggested they check the Riverdale files."

"They'll likely find something. Do you remember when we were kids and there was that thing where a girl fell from the bridge into sweetwater river?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Yeah. What about it?" Fangs asked.

"I was there. She was the girl who fell. I jumped in after her." Sweet Pea said quietly.

"Oh my God, Sweet Pea." Toni put her hand on his across the table.

"So, mum, we're looking for anything from when we were about five. Any big accidents." Betty said to Alice Smith, her mother and owner of the Riverdale Register.

"Well, off the top of my head I remember something happening at sweetwater river when you were kids." Alice replied. "But why, what are you snooping for now?"

"For me, Ms Smith." Sophia spoke. "My name's Sophia Putnam. I used to live in Greendale as a young kid but we moved to England. Apparently, there was an accident. But I found nothing in the Greendale records."

"Let's check." Alice said. She grabbed a couple boxes from the back room. "This should be all from that year."

"Well, then. Let's start digging." Jughead said, and they all started looking through. They each had a pile of papers, scanning through for anything that caught their attention.

"Sophia. Is it this?" Betty asked, showing them all a front page.

'SWEETWATER WOES' The headline read.

Local police and ambulance were called today when a girl, 5, fell into sweetwater river.

Reports say she and a friend, also 5, were playing on the bridge between the north and south sides, throwing sticks and watching as they floated along with the current. The girl looked over but went too far, falling into the river. Her friend jumped in after her, swimming along with the current to try to catch the girl.

A family walked past and saw what was happening. They called the local authorities, and helped when the boy had caught the girl and pulled her up the bank.

According to local sources, both children are fine and being taken care of. Their names are not being used for their own safety, but these photos show the children being helped from the river by the family, taken by a passerby.

We wish both the children and their families health, relief and future happiness.

"Oh my God." Sophia said, looking at the photo. "That's me for sure." 

"The boy, he looks... familiar." Jughead said.

"It looks like Sweet Pea." Betty agreed.

"I need to go home guys. I'll see you around." Sophia picked up her bag and left the Register.

"Poor girl." Alice shook her head.

"I don't think she remembers anything before or at the time of the accident." Betty told her. "She only knows England from what we talked about."

"One of life's biggest atrocities. Childhood trauma amnesia. I'm sure she had some great memories." Jughead shook his head. "Do we talk to Sweet Pea?"

"We should maybe ask. But more than anything, they need to talk to each other, I think." Betty said.